Build a Development Website Without WordPress

Why This Stack Works for Development

Most development sites still run on WordPress because it was the default choice a decade ago. But the trade-offs — wordpress themes limit your development creative expression, image-heavy development portfolios load slowly on wordpress — add up. A modern stack built on Next.js and Sanity (free tier) addresses those problems at the architecture level rather than papering over them with plugins.

Next.js generates static or server-rendered pages, which means your development site loads in milliseconds instead of waiting for a PHP server to assemble each page. That speed directly impacts SEO rankings and conversion rates — Google's Core Web Vitals favor fast-loading sites, and visitors are more likely to stay and engage when pages appear instantly.

Using Sanity (free tier) for content management means your editors still get a familiar interface for publishing and updating content. The difference is that the frontend is decoupled — your site's presentation layer is independent of your content storage, so you can redesign without re-entering content and scale without worrying about database bottlenecks.

Hosting on Vercel (free) keeps operational costs low. Static and edge-rendered sites consume a fraction of the resources a traditional WordPress setup requires, and most development sites fit comfortably within free or low-cost hosting tiers. If you're currently paying for managed WordPress hosting, switching to this stack can reduce your hosting bill significantly while improving performance.

Already running a WordPress development site? You don't need to start from scratch. LeaveWP's free migration tool exports your posts, pages, and metadata into clean files ready for Next.js — preserving your SEO equity and URL structure in the process.